The Riddle of the Desert

In the days of old, when the world was yet young, a man found himself stranded in the midst of a great desert, with naught but his bare skin and his will to survive. For three days he wandered under the scorching sun, until he stumbled upon a tent unlike any other.

As he lay panting in the shade of the tent, a friendly merchant appeared before him, saying: “Welcome, weary traveler, to the Tent That Has Everything You Need. Would you like to come in and take your ease?”

The man, parched and famished, nodded his head and followed the merchant into the tent, where he saw three tables before him. The first was laden with all manner of food and drink, the second with glittering gold and precious jewels, and the third with a single sheet of parchment.

The merchant said to the man: “Choose you now one of these three, for it shall be yours to keep.” But the man, being without coin, said that he had no means to pay for such treasures.

“Fret not,” said the merchant, “for in this place we barter not with gold or silver, but with the things that truly matter. You may choose one of these three, and it shall be yours without price, but it will cost everything you have.”

And so the man looked at the tables before him, and he thought long and hard before choosing the third. The merchant handed him the parchment, which bore the following riddle:

“I am neither food nor riches,
but I bring warmth to the coldest of ditches.
I am not a thing that you can hold,
but with me, you’ll never feel alone or cold.

What am I?”

The man scratched his head and pondered the riddle, until at last he realized the answer.

“It is you, good merchant,” he said. “You are the answer to this riddle, for you bring comfort and companionship to all who cross your path.”

And so the man chose to travel with the merchant, and together they journeyed through the desert, bringing succor to all the lost souls they encountered. And the man learned that the greatest treasure of all was not gold or jewels, but the warmth and kindness we choose to share.